Zeniya Gohei
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Zeniya Gohei (銭屋 五兵衛; Japanese pronunciation: [dze.ɲi.ja (|) ɡoꜜ.hei, -heː],[1] 1774-1852) was a Japanese merchant and engineer in the Edo period.
Gohei was born to a family of money-changers in Kaga province.[2]
Coastal shipping
Gohei was put in charge of developing a coastal shipping fleet (kitamae ships) for the Tokugawa shogunate; and he became very rich from trading,[2] especially rice and lumber.
Land reclamation project
In the summer of 1851, Gohei attempted a land reclamation project in Kahoku Lake, which is north of Kanazawa on the Sea of Japan. He planned to create rice paddies; but the project failed.[3]
In mid-1852, a large number of dead fish floated to the surface of the inlet near the worksite; and some local people died after eating the dead fish. Gohei and his family were deemed responsible; and they were imprisoned.[3] It is likely that these criminal charges were contrived as a subterfuge which enabled the clan to seize his considerable wealth.[4]
The seventy-eight-year-old Gohei died within three months of his incarceration.[3]